District Court Officer Baumeister retires

Sunday

Sep 23, 2012 at 10:38 PMSep 23, 2012 at 10:38 PM

By Don Reid

dwreid@aol.comCOLDWATER — After 13 years and six months, Andy Baumeister retired Wednesday as Bailiff/Court Officer in the Branch County District Court.With friends, attorneys and other courthouse personnel there to wish him a happy retirement, Branch County Magistrate-Judge David Coyle called him "the eternal Eagle Scout," always ready to continue his life of service. That includes serving as Union City village councilman.Judge Coyle noted Bill Ward — who also held the job for 14 years — in the audience and said the two were the best ever to hold the job.Coldwater City Prosecutor Megan Angel called Andy a positive person who treated everyone, including defendants and their families, fairly and with respect.Branch County District Court Judge Brent Weigle, who was an assistant prosecutor when Baumeister was a state trooper when he started, praised him for his loyalty, and his underrated intelligence.Judge Weigle added that Baumeister had a lot of responsibility and kept the court operating smoothly.Baumeister was a Michigan State Police trooper from 1973 to 1992. He then left to take a police job in coastal Carolina, but returned to Michigan in 1996 after two hurricanes in one summer there.Hired as a court transport officer in October of 1996, he became bailiff in April of 1999 with the retirement of Chet Keaton.